Organize Arts & Crafts Supplies for Free!

A messy art table is a good thing. It means the kids have been creative and having fun. But since my kids’ art table is in our living room, sometimes I want to clean the table and put the supplies away.

The problem is that all of the art supplies were in a bin, and the kids would pull everything out to get the one thing they wanted at the bottom of the bin. Maybe we didn’t need to get all of the art supplies out every time.

I looked on Pinterest to find ways to organize art supplies, and though there were many good ideas, most of them were mounted to the wall in a dedicated craft room. I want to be able to put the supplies away in a cabinet, so a craft caddy seems like the best fit.

I don’t want to buy anything, so I looked around my house for what I could use or recycle. Toilet paper tubes? Soup cans? I didn’t want to wait a month while I saved up enough. What did I already have?

Then I had an idea.

It’s the perfect fit, and it even comes with dividers and a handle to carry it.

I almost stopped there, but then I worried that I would be encouraging underage drinking by associating arts and crafts with handcrafted beer, so I spray painted it.

To make your own arts and crafts caddy from a recycled six-pack carrier, first trace the bottom of the carrier onto a cereal box. You’ll need the extra cardboard to reinforce the bottom. Slide the cereal-box cutout into the bottom for additional support and to fill in the gaps on the sides. Then spray paint it.

Since it was free, I can make as many as I need. Maybe I will do one for each kid, or one for the most-used supplies and the rest of the supplies can go in another.

Maybe now the arts and crafts table will stay a little more clean, so there will be more room for creating.

Comments

Ah, this is BRILLIANT! As an artist myself, it’s ALWAYS a struggle to keep the supplies in check, especially after a particularly exhilarating drawing session. “How do I put this away? Now? But I’m so tired and on a high… maybe later…” … you know what happens next.

I wish I had these organizers when I was a kid. Maybe it’s not too late…

Very clever solution! If all these art supplies would just stay on that table! I have four children and I never really found out why every.single.thing in this house always ends up on the floor for me to pick it up Natacha´s last post…Making my own soy milk

Oh we love reusing boxes… all kinds of boxes. I have a arty box just like that next to my desk for all my markers and things!!!

Here’s a box use I think you will like: You know how little ones love a whole series of books… they never want one golden book, they want to read all twenty. I have used cut-off-cereal boxes to contain their book series and then they take the box off… read through their pile and then pop them back into the box and away on the shelf… so much easy than tipping books off shelves!!! (Step 5 of this post shows you how : http://www.se7en.org.za/2009/02/22/the-book-nook-revisited-in-se7en-steps)Se7en´s last post…Se7en’s July…

Genius! I have yet to worry about that sort of thing, since we’re currently childless and my idea of arts and crafts is making pictures with my m&ms before I eat them.

I’m sure, though, that my kids will be more aesthetically inclined, so I should probably have a plan to give them an outlet for that. Thanks for letting me know that I don’t need an entire room devoted to glitter and pipe cleaners.Jennie´s last post…The Ability to Say No (Especially to Yourself)

What a great idea! I have a couple of six-pack boxes that I had set aside for Pinterest-y Father’s Day craft that I never got around to doing. And I’ve been frustrated by the crayons EVERYWHERE lately.

Just the other day we had some Ginger Brew – yum! And I thought, instead of putting the box – it’s a four pack of bottles – in the recycling that I’d put it in my studio awaiting inspiration.
The day of inspiration has arrived!!!
Thanks Rachel!

Great Idea! At some stores here they have plain white 6-pack boxes so you can choose your own individual bottles to make a 6-pack. I could have ‘the artist’ decorate the art box!
Now to remember to pick one up the next time I’m in…

That is such a fantastic idea! I have been trying to think of something to put our pencils, textas, scissors etc in ever since our dog chewed the previous basket!Stephanie´s last post…How to cut your own hair.

I’ve seen that same idea used in resturants to hold salt/pepper/napkins/silverware. If you eat on your deck or patio it’s a way to keep those things together for quick set-up. If it gets rained on you just drink some more beer and make a new one